Airship



V. PRITELLI.

AIRSHIP.

APPLlcATroN HLED JuLY23.1918.

1 35 1 3G 1 Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

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4 SHEETS-'SHEET I.

JffLv-enof 'V. PRITELLI.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION HLED 1uLY 28.1818. 1 35 1 30 1 Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

` 5 4 sHEETs-sHEET 2.

V. PRITELLI.

AlBsHlP. APPLICATION FILED l'ULY 23.1918.

1,35 1,301 Patena Aug. 81, 1920.

`4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

V. PRITELLI.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION HLED JuLY 23. 1918.

1,351,301. v PatenaAug. 31,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

I UNITED sTATEs VINCENZO PRITELLI, OF ROME, ITALY.

Pi't'i'laz-rir oFFic;

' AIRSHIP.

Application fiiea July 28,1918. Semi N0.`248,394.

.The invention relatesto airships and its 4 Aobject is more particularly to providecva'n great speed and which is easily Controlled \elevation, Fig., 2 being drawn in continuaairship which is capable to navigate at high altitudes, to rise rapidlyzand to -travel at and comb'ines a consiclerable lifting power witha maximum carrying capacity.

lVith these and other objects in view, 'the invention consists substantially in the construction as hereinafter described and as shown in the annexed drawings, in which Figures land 2 show the airship in side tion'of Fig. 1 thefland wheels being omitted, Flg. 3 is an end elevation, Figs. 4 and 5 are a lon itudinal section on line E-F-G-H I-l 'of Fig. 6, Fig. 5

being drawn'in continuation of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 isa cross section of the airship.

In the form of construction-'shown in the drawfings, the balloon is built'upl with fifteen ballonnets. which are arranged as follows; one large ballonnet --1- in the top part, four the right and two at the left hand side of the balloon, foursmaller ballonnets -3-- in the lengthwise extending spaces between the ballonnets -1 and -2-, twb ballonnets -1 in the bottom part between' each two ballonnets--ga ballonnet "5- at the 'forward and a ballonnet -'6-' in the rear end of theballoon. Four ballonnets 7- are arranged in the central space between the ballonnets -1- and -2- and six bal-4 lonnets --8 are placed threein lthe forward and three the rear -end of the balloon.

These fifteen ballonnets are inclosed 'withina framework built up with steel'tubes bent into ovoidal hoops 9.-, land inside the framework are provided-,hoops 9' to hold the ballonnets in place and in spaced relation. i

The ovoidal hoops 3-9- have a varying size and shape in accordance with the varying cross section of the'balloon, and they are 'interconnected by lengthwise arranged aluminium tubes and stayed by aid `ofsteel girders 10' which hold ,them in place and ballonnets -2-. in the bottom part, two at and Sumlar purposes' allow a lower platform 'P being secured to the framework by means of outside suspensionsp', this said'platform being also built ups w1th alumimum tubes and steel girders.

The envelop -10 of the framework consists of aluminium plates which are fastened on the ovoidal hoops -f9 and on the steel glrders, and this aluminium sheeting incloses also the lowerplatform, where it is provided with openings closed 'by shutters to serve as windows.

The platform is'divivded into five compartments such as -11-, -12 -13 -1kand -15-, of which those -11 13- and 15- contain the navigating rooms,

the living quarters for the crew and passengers, the provisions, also the power plantv which is suitably split'up, for eXample,-by housing the motors for the propellers -18-, `-19--, `0--, --21- 22- and 23-4 in the forward compartment, the

motor for the propellers 24- in the centraland the motor for the propellers 2.5- in the rear compartment, vwhile the comvp'artmeiflts -12- and --14- serve 'preferably to contain wheels 16- for travel- -ing on land and the compartment --12Q also an observation car 17- adapted to be lowered from 'the airship -for reconnoitering tending alongside compartments 12 and 14,

ment to another.

The airship is constructed so that it may be easilytaken apart and its length be increased, if desired, by mounting additional hoops more particularly in the Vmain section of the balloon and by providing additional ballonnetsv in accord'ance with the increased length of the balloon.

The balloon is easily accessible between the spaced ballonnets so that these latter may be readily inspected and repaired when required, and easy access is thus afforded to an upper'platform 726- which carries the motor for driving the propeller 27 stability of the airship will thus neverbe| disturbed.

Gangways 15', ex-v provide means for accessfrom one compart- The ballonnets are covered with a double ply cloth with an inside rubber layer which is double'd at the rear end where the hydrogen produces the maximum pressure during ach ballonnet'is divided inside into a plurality of Vertical cells 8' which communicate between them by means lof openings provided in the Vertical partitions, and

a lengthwise extending diaphragm within to travel in any desi'red direction, which also facilitates the work of the rudders and the ascent and descent of the airship and maintains the same more securely at the desired altitude.

For this purpose, the propellers 18- to 23- and -2- are arranged around the airship along the line of the largest cross section, where the air is denser on account of the compression produced by the nose of each ballonnet divides the same into two the air shipduring fiight; Two propellers parts, an upper and a lower one. The upper part'which takes up about two thirds of the entire cross sectional area, is filled with drogen spaces of the various ballonnetsl are in open intercommunication through 'plassages 17', as clearly shown in Fig. 5. he ballonnets 5- and 6- arranged re- 'spectively at the forward and' the rear end of the balloon, serve to control its horizontal position. These ballonnets are divided into two halves by aid of a loosely arranged diaphragm which is adapted to lay itself against half the u aper or the lower surface of the ballonnet; hey are provided with an inletyandl an outlet piping for the -airf of o compensation, in order to maintain more easily the longitudinal equilibriu'in and to facilitate the ascent and descent of the' airshiIp. x

I engthwise arranged tubes 7-33- serve to interconnect the air chambers of the ,w

ballonnets by aid of valves of usual type which close against outgoing pressure, but

' open freely under ingoing pressure, also'to 45- supply air to the compensating chambers when the pressure of the hydrogen tends to (liminish, a blower --34 beinglarranged at the mouthpiece of the tubes 33- to blow air into, or draw air from, the compensating chambers. 1 v

At high altitudes where the atmosphere is very rare, the pressure of the hydrogen increases and the air of compensation is thus caused to escape and to enter the spaces between the ballonnets, from where it passes through openings in thel ceiling into -the compartments -11-.-, -13- and`-15--,

which said openings are provided with automatic control valves, so-as to supply air for respiration when the airship is flying'at highaltitudes;

The propellers may work inde'pendently one from the other and at different speeds, so that the airship may be readily caused are placed laterally of" the central' These position respecting the horizontal axis of the airship may be varied, which arrangement serves also to facilltate the ascent and descent of the airship and to maintain more securely its equilibrium` The required dirigibility and stability of the balloon are obtained by means which comprise horizonta'lly arranged wings 28- provided with a mobile rear end so that their inclination maybe varied and the ascent and descent be facilitated, Vertical wings and steadying surfaces, an upper one -29-, and three lower ones -30 which serve to secure longitudinal stability, three Vertical rudders 31-4 and a twoplane rudder -32- arranged astern at a higher level than the platform. t

It will be understood that many of the constructional details as hereinbefore set forth may be Varied within the scope and the purpose of the invention.

What I claim is:

An airship including a series" of spaced ballonnets, diaphragms dividing the ballonnets into hydrogen and air chambers.

the hydrogen chambers of the respective ballonnets being in open communication, and means for delivering air under pressure to the air Chamber of any or all of thfe ballonnets to force the gas therefrom, a

' platform supported by the ballonnets, propellers arranged on the line of maximum length transverse the longitudinal dimen-v sion of the air ship, a Vertical wing mounted abovezthe ballonnets, a plurality of vertical wings a-rranged below the ballonnets, and a plurality of rudders. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses the nd day of June, 1918.;

' VINoE-Nzo PRITELLI. Vitnesses: l

RoDoLFo GAMARONI, ENRIoo 'VARIANQ 

